His Sister's Duty
by Lily Hanson
Summary: "Cammy's obsession with the purple Ranger isn't just fantasy," Kendall told her brother as his jaw started to slip open. He turned to her, his eyes wide with shock. "You...?"
1. Big Brother's in Town

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Dino Charge. This story is fan-made._

"So, just so we're clear..."

"Not a word about what happened to Bella," Cammy nodded, looking to Kendall with a smile. "I know what I'm doing, you know."

"And if she asks about this?" Kendall held up her bandaged hand.

"Dig accident. A tool slipped and cut your hand, but you're okay."

"If she asks if I went to the hospital..."

"No," Cammy answered. "But you made sure all your dig team employees are trained in first aid. It was cleaned and bandaged and at the first sign of infection you will see a doctor."

"You're a good liar," Kendall said with a little smirk. Cammy shrugged.

"Yeah. Having a mom that drinks helps. But what if Jon asks?"

"If Jon asks, and Bella's not around, you tell him I'm okay."

"He'll ask for details."

"Tell him he'd rather not know."

"Kendall..."

"Better my hand than Koda's chest."

"I'll find a nicer way to tell him," Cammy answered and Kendall chuckled. Just then, a car pulled up in front of the museum. Cammy hopped off the garden ledge, thinking at first it was her parent's car, but then she noticed it was a different colour and frowned, coming to a stop.

"Are you expecting someone?" she asked Kendall, who shook her head no. At that same moment, a man stepped out of the car. When he turned around, Kendall and Cammy couldn't help but smile.

"Jeremy!" Cammy cried, racing over to greet her brother. Kendall stayed behind, looking a little surprised to see him. Jeremy hugged Cammy then lifted her into his arms before he made his way over.

"What are you doing here?" Kendall asked, leaning in to hug him. Jeremy shrugged.

"What? A brother can't visit his sisters for the start of the summer?"

"How long are you staying?" Cammy asked.

"I've got about a week off work. Tracey took Anna and some of her friends on a girl's only cruise, so I thought I'd spend some time here and... What's that?"

Jeremy pointed to Kendall's hand, which she was quick to pull behind her back.

"It's nothing."

"Kendall hurt herself on a dig when a tool slipped," Cammy said. "She didn't see a doctor, but the whole dig team knows first aid. If it looks like it's going to be infected, she'll have it looked at. Don't worry."

Kendall looked to Cammy with relief and a little surprised. She had asked Cammy to lie before. It was the nature of their secret. Still, it was a little strange to hear such an elaborate lie flow right off the nine year old's tongue.

"I'm going to worry about it," Jeremy said. He set Cammy down and reached for Kendall's hand, pulling out from behind her back. "Let me see it."

"Jeremy..."

"You're always hurt when I come to town," Jeremy said. "You know, I'm going to start taking it personally soon."

"It's not you," Kendall told him while he unwrapped the bandage. She winced when he did.

"This looks..."

"Worse than it is."

"Kendall..."

"Honestly, I'm fine."

"Yet, every time you've ever said that, you've never been fine," Jeremy told her. "What happened, really?"

"Did you just fly in? You must be hungry..."

"Kendall."

Kendall shook her head, and looked to Jeremy the way she once always had, signalling to him that he wasn't going to pull anything out of her. He sighed, then turned to Cammy.

"What's the real story, kid?"

"I can't tell you."

"And why not?"

"Because I'm the youngest," Cammy said. "I'm not supposed to be in the middle of this. I'm neutral."

"Middle child is supposed to be neutral, but she's not talking. You're supposed to be..."

"Cute and innocent. I don't know what happened," Cammy said and then raced off inside the museum. Jeremy sighed, then looked to Kendall with a frown.

"It's not fair; you spend more time with her."

"Come home more often."

"Here's an idea: you two fly out and visit me."

Kendall glared at Jeremy. He glared back then smiled.

"I am hungry, though. You still sell those Bronto Burgers?"

"It's a favourite."

"Sweet. So, how about you tell me what you did to your hand while you whip me up a burger?"

"You're impossible," Kendall sighed, rolling her eyes as she turned to walk inside the museum. Jeremy followed her, a smirk on his face.

"I think you meant to say awesome. I'm awesome."


	2. The Beach Rangers

Cammy had never had a sibling before. Since her father left just before she was born, and her mother started drinking heavily as a result, there had been no time or opportunity for siblings. Cammy spent the first few years of her life as an only child. When she was placed in a foster home temporarily, she had a couple of kids with her, but she never really considered them true siblings.

Once she was finally placed with the Goldbergs, she was once again an only child. It was what she was used to, so she didn't think much of it. It wasn't until the Fishers took her in that she got her first taste of being a sibling.

She loved it.

Her siblings were much older. There was eighteen years between her and Kendall, and twenty years difference with Jeremy. Yet, when the three of them were together, it felt just like they were all kids.

"Come on!"

"Please!"

"You know you want to," Jeremy and Cammy prodded Kendall, going back and forth as they tried to convince her to take the day off. Jeremy had come to town while his daughter and wife were on their girl's only cruise to spend a week with his parents and sisters. Cammy's summer vacation had just started and she wanted to make the most of it with a trip to the beach. Jeremy was only too happy to oblige and had packed the car for a full day.

Kendall needed to work, and assured her brother and sister that they would go to the beach once she was done in the museum. Neither was happy with her decision, as most spots on the beach would be taken by then and it would be way too crowded to have a good time. If they went early, while most parents were still at work, they could get hours of quality beach time in.

"The museum doesn't run itself..."

"Boo!" Jeremy called, earning a sharp glare from Kendall and a chuckle from Cammy.

"Some of us still have to work," Kendall reminded her brother.

"Yes, but that's what vacation days are for. I took mine, you own this place. Isn't one of the perks of being your own boss getting time off whenever you want?"

"Yeah! And I want to go to the beach!" Cammy added.

"We will go to the beach once I'm done working."

"Have Shelby take over for you," Cammy suggested. "She's good enough, right?"

"I..."

"You mean you can call in a backup to run this place?" Jeremy asked with a big smile on his face. He then grabbed the tablet from Kendall's hands, set it down and started to pull her along. "Well, why didn't you say so. Cammy go tell Shelby to keep an eye on the place. I'll get Little-Miss-Works-A-Lot ready for a day at the beach!"

"Yes!" Cammy cheered, hopped off the barstool and raced out to the museum from the cafe to find Shelby. Jeremy, meanwhile, walked Kendall down to her office so she could collect her things.

"I don't like skipping out of work," Kendall told him as she took off her jacket and grabbed her bag for the beach. She had packed it that morning with the plan on driving straight from the museum to the beach once she was done.

"You're not skipping out if you're the boss."

"I need to be here."

"No, you don't," Jeremy chuckled and tossed a purple towel to his sister. "You take, what, two vacation days a year."

"Just the one now. Mom's death."

"Let's take one that's actually fun," Jeremy insisted. "That's what vacation is for. And I'm only in town for a week. Do you really want to waste that working here?"

Kendall sighed. Her brother made a great point. She never took vacation days and he was in town only a short while. Cammy was excited about a day at the beach and the museum could take care of itself for the day, especially if Shelby agreed to keep an eye on things. If Ranger trouble arose, Kendall would have her communicator, and both Riley and Shelby knew how to use her technology in the lab to track monster signatures and contact any needed Rangers. When she cracked a smile and gave her brother a little nod, he grew very excited.

"Sweet! Yes! We're going to have an awesome time!"

-Dino-Charge-

Cammy's eyes were wide as Jeremy unpacked the beach bag he had brought, revealing plenty of toys for them to use on the sand and in the water. She especially loved the water guns designed to look like the Dino Rangers' blasters. She reached for one as soon as Jeremy pulled it out and stuck her hand high in the air.

"I call being the purple Ranger!" she cried out happily and then looked to Kendall to stick her tongue out. Kendall chuckled and shook her head while her brother handed her a water gun.

"You can be purple," she said to Cammy. "But what colour does that make me?"

"Uh..."

"Black," Jeremy suggested, earning himself a frown from both Kendall and Cammy, prompting him to explain his choice. "I don't know. I just get the feeling the black Ranger is a lone wolf kind of guy."

"Lone wolf?"

"But he doesn't even have a skirt," Cammy frowned. "How can she be black if he doesn't have a skirt?"

"Imagination," Jeremy suggested with a smile. "Besides, you don't wear skirts. Are you a boy?"

"Good point," Cammy nodded her head, then looked up at Kendall. "You can be black."

"Alright, but... seriously, the black Ranger gives you a lone wolf impression?" Kendall asked her brother, a deep frown still on her face.

"Well... black is a dark colour..."

"The darkest," Cammy helped.

"Right. And lone wolves are night creatures, right?" Jeremy asked then shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, I don't know, I just think black would suit you best. You don't have to be the black Ranger if you don't want."

"I'll be black," Kendall said and then smirked with Cammy slightly. "I just find it funny you think the black Ranger is a lone wolf."

"We'll never know," Jeremy shrugged. "I could be right."

"Uh huh," Cammy nodded her head. "So, what colour do you think you are?"

"I'm red," Jeremy smiled, standing proudly until he heard his sister chuckling. "What? What's so funny about that? I'm the oldest, the red guy is always in charge of the others. Why are you two laughing?"

"It's nothing," Kendall shook her head. "It's just... you see the Rangers very different from us."

"Well, I don't live in Amber Beach. Besides, like I said, we don't know the Rangers. We might never know what they're like in real life."

"Uh huh," Cammy nodded and then pulled the trigger on her water gun, and found to her surprise and amusement, she squirt her brother in the swim trunks. He jumped in surprise and as he turned to point his gun at Cammy, she started to run towards the water.

"We're on the same side, purple Ranger," he called after her as he started running. Kendall chuckled as she watched them go and shook her head. She couldn't believe how amazing Jeremy was with Cammy, though she was sure having a daughter Cammy's age helped him a lot. Seeing the way he was carefree around her and Cammy allowed her to let her guard down, which was a feeling she wished she had allowed herself to explore back when she had been living with the Fishers.

She knew a part of the blame did fall on Jeremy for not being so open and patient with her when they were teenagers. However, she knew she had been difficult from the moment she moved in with his family. She had learned from her mother that people didn't care about her – that they would only hurt her in the end. She had been so sure it would be the same with the Fishers that she didn't care to open up her heart to them. Even if Jeremy had tried everything he could, she wouldn't have let him see this side of her back them.

Now she knew she had missed so many years of feeling so... light was probably the best way to describe this feeling. As she watched Jeremy and Cammy playing in the water, pretending to be the red and purple Power Rangers, she had to think that maybe it was thanks to Cammy that she was getting this chance to be so close to Jeremy. She had, after all, only gone home to her parents to get their help when Cammy wanted to be adopted, and that was how she was reunited with her brother. Now, because of the little girl, they were playing pretend, and acting like kids despite being well into their adult lives.

And it felt really damn good. Gripping her water gun tight, Kendall raced into the water to join her brother and sister, only to sudden find herself the victim of a barrage. She let out a cry, turned her face away from the two jets of water and tried to bargain with her siblings.

"I thought we were all on the same side!"

"We made an alliance," Cammy explained. "You're the bad Ranger and we have to fight you and turn you back to good!"

Kendall spit out some water as the assaults settled. She looked to Jeremy and Cammy.

"Have you ever heard of using your words?"

"Yes, but using water guns is more fun," Jeremy smirked and then shot his sister again.


	3. To Jeremy's Surprise

Jeremy loved having two sisters. Growing up, he always thought he would be better off with brothers. As a child, he remembered overhearing his parents talking about trying for another kid. While he wasn't sure at the time what "trying for a baby" meant, he had hopes of getting a little brother. Someone just like him, who could look up to him. After a few years, still without a brother, Jeremy remembered sitting down with his parents to discuss fostering a child. They explained to him that not all kids were fortunate enough to come from loving homes, and that loving people could choose to take in some of those kids and hopefully make their lives a little better.

Jeremy still remembered wanting a brother.

A couple of years passed still before Kendall showed up. By that time, Jeremy wasn't upset he didn't have a brother, but rather was disappointed he had ever gotten his hopes up. He did his best to be brotherly to Kendall, but she wouldn't open up to him in return, and he only had two years before college anyways. He moved away from home, barely knowing his little sister.

However, he was back now, and while it was for just a week, he intended on making the time count. He wanted to do his best to build his relationship with Kendall, who seemed more open to letting him in, and he wanted to develop a bond with Cammy. He knew that now she had plenty of male role models in her life, but still, he wanted to do what he could with her. There had to be something that only he could teach Cammy. One day, he would find out what it was.

For now, he was just content with spending time with his sisters and having fun. After a very exciting and twisted game of water gun Power Rangers, and a little fun in the waves, Jeremy was ready to relax on the beach. Cammy, with her seemingly endless supply of energy, wanted to continue building sandcastles, and Kendall stayed with her to help, giving Jeremy at least a few minutes of peace and quiet.

Or so, he had hoped. As soon as he set his sights on his towel down at the far end of the beach, he noticed someone going through the bags. Frowning, Jeremy started to rush over.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" he called out to the thief, but as he got closer, he realized this wasn't any common crook. This was one of the monsters that were known for causing trouble in Amber Beach. These white and green monsters weren't too powerful on their own, but frequently accompanied the stronger, scarier monsters to attack the Rangers. Generally, they weren't on their own, but this one seemed to be by himself. Jeremy hoped that maybe, by themselves, these monsters would be a little more cowardly.

When the monster heard his voice, it looked up and over. Jeremy saw what appeared to be Kendall's phone in its hand and started to run a little faster to the towels.

"You can't take that! It's my sister's!" he shouted but the monster started to take off, phone in hand. Groaning loudly, Jeremy started to follow it, feeling a bit of adrenaline running through his veins.

He had always been the protective type. He kept his eye on Kendall when they were in school together, and defended his parents from her after her long absence. He was always ready to fight for Anna if she needed a voice, and he was willing to do the same for Cammy if she ever needed it. As long as he was around, he wouldn't let anyone hurt the people he cared about. These monsters were no exception.

Jeremy didn't realize he was getting in over his head until it was too late. He chased the monster across the parking lot, down to a more isolated area of the beach. There, more of the same monsters were waiting for their friend and they all set their sights on Jeremy when he walked in. He put his hands up, slowing to a stop when he realized he was very outnumbered.

"Okay... okay, it was just a little misunderstanding," he said as the monsters started to approach him. "You just... you took my sister's phone and... Look, I don't know what you think it is, but it's just a phone. I have one too, so does my eight year old daughter. There's nothing special about them."

"That's where you're wrong," Jeremy heard someone say from behind him and turned around to see a giant walking candle. He jumped in fright and now was no longer sure what he had gotten himself into. He knew in hindsight that it was probably best not to follow a monster, especially for just a phone.

"Did you get it?" the giant walking candle asked the monster with the phone in hand. It nodded and handed the phone over. Jeremy watched the candle try to unlock Kendall's phone, but to no avail. He then looked to Jeremy with a growl and tossed the phone over.

"Open it for me, human."

"I... I don't know her passcode," Jeremy said and nervously hoped the monster would know he was telling the truth. Once, just before going off to college, he had tried to break into Kendall's computer in the hopes of getting her father's contact information. He thought maybe if he knew where her father lived, he could do something to help his sister. But he tried endlessly to figure out her password without any luck. Kendall was a very private, very complicated person, and her passcodes were no different.

"Then hand me back the device!" the monster called out, extending his hand. "I'll have Wrench force it open back at the ship."

Jeremy wasn't sure what to do now, or why this monster was so obsessed with Kendall's phone. What could be on it that he wanted? Surely, nothing interesting. Maybe a few phone calls to her parents, some text messages with Cammy and him. If he was lucky, maybe the monster would find some information on the museum.

How that would help with a hostile takeover of the planet, Jeremy wasn't sure at all. But his life really wasn't worth finding out. Deflated, he offered the phone back to the monster. Just as the giant candle was about to take it, a rock was thrown, hitting him in the hand. The phone fell to the sand and the giant candle and all the other monsters turned. When they saw nothing, the candle monster bend down to pick up the phone, but it was gone.

"Trust me, Singe, there's nothing on here," the purple Ranger suddenly announced from behind the pack of monsters, Kendall's phone in her hand. "Do you really think the Rangers would be so stupid as to leave valuable information on a portable device?"

"Then hand it over," the candle monster, Singe, demanded. Jeremy watched, in surprise, as the purple Ranger tossed over the phone. It landed at Singe's feet and he rushed to grab it. Jeremy watched him go through the phone, somehow finding it unlocked, and then grumbling in frustration when the information he was looking for couldn't be found.

"This... this is just a bunch of human jargon!" he tossed the phone into the sand and then turned to his monsters. "Viviks, destroy her!"

With that command, he was gone as quickly as he showed up, but the viviks started to rush towards the purple Ranger. Jeremy, caught in the middle, was pushed into the sand and stepped on a couple of times before finding himself in the clear. He coughed, sat up, and watched the viviks take on a losing battle against the purple Ranger.

"Isn't she awesome?" a little voice behind him remarked, and he turned around to find Cammy watching the fight in awe. He quickly jumped to his feet and grabbed her.

"Cammy, get out of here, it's not safe!"

"But..."

"We've got to go. The Ranger can handle them!" Jeremy said and managed to carry Cammy back to the parking lot before succumbing to his injuries. He put his little sister down and clutched his ribs. The viviks didn't look too big or like they weighed too much, but it still hurt when they had stepped on him. He gave himself a minute to catch his breath, then looked to his sister before he realized he was short one sibling.

"Where's Kendall?"

Cammy seemed a little confused by the question, answering with a long _um_ before she shrugged her shoulders. "She wanted to go swimming?"

"And left you alone?" Jeremy asked.

"Uh... She uh... told me to stay with you."

"Then..." Jeremy looked out at the water, seeing no swimmers. It was past dinner time, so the temperature was dropping and the sky was starting to get a little darker. Not many people stayed at the beach this late, so Jeremy, Kendall and Cammy had a good stretch of the beach to themselves. Seeing no one in the water within that stretch, Jeremy's heart stopped beating. Forgetting the pain in his ribs, he started to run to the water.

"Kendall!" he called out. Cammy followed him, racing as fast as her legs could carry her. She hadn't meant to worry her brother and didn't like seeing him so worked up. When he stopped at the shore, she bumped into him and grabbed his arm.

"She didn't go in the water," she told him. Jeremy looked to her.

"But you said... Is she swimming or not?"

"Uh..." Cammy looked out at the open water, and then back in the direction of the fight. She had no idea what she could say to cover for Kendall until she came back. "I... I don't know."

"You don't know where..." Jeremy paused, took a breath and then knelt down. He put his hands on Cammy's arms and looked her in the eyes. "Where is Kendall?"

Cammy waited a moment to answer and took that time to study Jeremy's face. He was scared – very scared. Not knowing where Kendall was had upset him. She was also sure that being caught up with Singe and all the viviks had freaked him out too.

She remembered feeling that scared – feeling helpless to protect her sister. Heckyl had played a nasty trick on her at that time and it put the Rangers in a lot of trouble. Fear – panic, wasn't going to help keep the Rangers safe.

She wasn't supposed to tell him, but she blurted it out anyways.

"She's the purple Ranger."

Jeremy looked to Cammy, taking in her answer for a moment before he pulled her in for a hug.

"I know how much you love the purple Ranger. And Kendall is your hero, but Cammy, she could be in trouble..."

"She is! She's the purple Ranger," Cammy said and then pointed down the beach. "That's why candle-head wanted her phone. She's got everything!"

"Cammy, this isn't the time."

"Kendall is the purple Ranger!" Cammy shouted. Jeremy looked in shock, but not at her. Cammy noticed his gaze was going just over her head. She turned around and saw the purple Ranger standing in the sand. She smiled. "It's okay, Kendall. I told him the truth."

The purple Ranger looked to Cammy, then to Jeremy. He noticed she had Kendall's phone in her hand. He let go of Cammy, who didn't hesitate to run over to the purple Ranger and take her hand.

"I had to tell him," Cammy said. "He was scared, just like me! So I told him and now you can fill him in on everything else."

"Cammy..." the purple Ranger sighed and shook her head. Jeremy rose to his feet, wearing probably the deepest, most perplexed frown ever to appear on his face.

"I... I don't get it," he said. "Cammy, you know the purple Ranger?"

Cammy sighed and slapped her hand to her forehead. At the same time, the purple Ranger brought her hands to her helmet. When she pulled it off, Jeremy gasped, then fainted.


	4. Brother's Fears

_Author's Note: Apologies for the delay (but thank you all for your patience!). The end of my summer has been rather hectic, with my personal life experiencing a ton of changes (all good, but changes none the less). With my routine being different from normal, it will take time for me to adjust. While I always have a buffer between what I post and where I am in my writing (generally a whole story ahead, sometimes more), there may be some gaps between posts as I may not find the time to update regularly. More commonly, I may not have time to respond to reviews or questions swiftly, if at all, depending on my day or week._

 _Please know, however, that your reviews and your support are always appreciated, and where possible I will try to address any questions or concerns. Hopefully, once I find my momentum and adapt to my new routine, things will be back to normal regarding replying to reviews, answering PMs, and posting chapters._

 _I thank you all for your patience and understanding and hope you continue to enjoy my work!_

* * *

When Jeremy opened his eyes, he was no longer at the beach. Instead, he was looking up at a dirt ceiling with... was that bones imbedded? He blinked, furrowed his brow, and when he opened his eyes again, Cammy was staring down at him.

"Kendall! He's awake!" the little girl called out, her voice ringing loudly in Jeremy's ears. He winced as he slowly sat up, trying to move gently so as not to aggravate whatever had caused him to pass out in the first place.

"Cammy..."

"Whoops, sorry," Cammy whispered sheepishly to her brother, then offered him an ice pack. "Here, it's for whatever hurts."

"Did I pass out?" Jeremy asked, looking to Cammy, then to Kendall as she came into view. His oldest sister nodded her head.

"You suffered a mild concussion from being trampled by the viviks," she explained.

"Viviks?"

"Do you remember what happened?" Cammy asked. "When I got a concussion, I lost some memories. Not the bad ones, though."

"I... I remember monsters," Jeremy said, trying to jog his memory. It was a little fuzzy right now, but the longer he was up, the more it all seemed to come back to him. "We were at the beach, some monster stole your phone and suddenly there was maybe a dozen of them. Those were viviks?"

"And the big one was Singe," Cammy smiled. Jeremy noticed Kendall sighed at Cammy's comment.

"Cam..."

"He's gotta know," Cammy said, turning to her sister. "He's scared too. He has to know what's going on so he doesn't get tricked like me."

"You knew what was going on."

"So he could be tricked even more," Cammy pointed out, and then turned to Jeremy. "Do you remember the purple Ranger?"

"Why don't you go upstairs and get Jeremy some water?" Kendall suggested to the little girl, pointing to the elevators. "I'm sure he could use it."

"Okay," Cammy said, hopping off her chair and making her way to the elevator. "Just, make sure you tell him everything okay. That way Heckyl doesn't trick us again."

As Cammy left, Kendall looked to Jeremy. He could tell right away from her face there was something she wanted to tell him, but was very nervous about. Sitting up a little straighter, he gave her a slight nod, "Whatever it is..."

"You don't remember?"

"It's fuzzy," Jeremy admitted. "But I'm sure it'll come back to me soon enough. When it does, am I going to be happy I didn't hear it from you?"

"Maybe that's a risk I'm willing to take."

"Kendall..." Jeremy sighed, then he noticed the room he was in and frowned deeply. It looked like a cross between a science lab and a cave. In fact, it seemed to be exactly that. He looked to his sister, deep confusion on his face. "Where are we, exactly?"

"My lab."

"You take the dinosaur thing seriously," Jeremy said and pointed to the fossils in the walls. "Are those real?"

"They were Koda's idea, and I wanted him to feel more at home so..." Kendall suddenly shook her head. "Look, Jeremy, that's not important."

"Some monster tried to steal your phone," Jeremy said. "Some big candle really wanted to know what was on it... I might not remember exactly what it is Cammy wants me to know, but Kendall, I know there's something going on. And if it's got anything to do with the monsters..."

Kendall sighed loudly, rubbed her face in her hands and then looked to her brother.

"You can't freak out."

"You're not caught up in this monster stuff are you?" Jeremy asked, then gasped loudly. "You're not working with them, are you?"

"What? No!" Kendall shook her head. "Are you serious?"

"Well, that's a pretty big secret."

"Jeremy, I don't work with the monsters."

"So..."

Kendall gestured around the lab, certain that if it weren't for his concussion, Jeremy would have figured her out by now. Hell, she had revealed herself to him just before he had passed out. She was surprised still that it was taking him this long to know her secret.

"Cammy's obsession with the purple Ranger isn't just fantasy," she told her brother as his jaw started to slip open. He turned to her, his eyes wide with shock.

"You...?"

"There is an alien I work with named Keeper," Kendall said. "A long, long time ago, he was trusted with these energems," she held up her necklace, showing him the purple energem. "Sledge and his army wanted the energems though and followed Keeper across galaxies to get them. When Keeper landed on Earth, he tried to pass on the energems to the dinosaurs..."

"Dinosaurs."

"I said it was a long time ago."

"Jurassic park long ago, though."

Kendall sighed again, "The dinosaurs bonded to one of the ten energems in existence just before Sledge came, creating the asteroid event that wiped out them all out. Consequently, the energems were scattered over the face of the planet, and Sledge was sent back into space, trapped on his ship for 65 million years."

"Million? You work with a dude whose 65 million years old?"

"Jeremy..."

"Kendall, this is all crazy," Jeremy said and got off his cot to start walking around the lab, checking out as much as he possibly could. "You mean to tell me you're a Power Ranger? And Cammy knows about it?"

"She found out..."

"She's nine!"

"She's a smart kid. I didn't want to get her involved in any of this. I swear. But once she found out... I'm keeping an eye on her. So is Jon."

"Dad? He knows?"

"He found out too."

"Great, so our parents know and Cammy know, but I'm last to find out."

"Bella doesn't know," Kendall said. Jeremy frowned even deeper.

"Mom... seriously?"

"Jon thought it was best," Kendall argued. "You know how she gets over this..."

"So dad knows, Cammy knows, and now I know, but mom's in the dark?"

"Jeremy..."

"Kendall, do you have any idea what could happen to you?" Jeremy asked. "I mean... those monsters are serious business."

"Jeremy..."

"It'll kill mom if something happened to you and she was last to know why," Jeremy said. "Kendall, you have to..."

"No one is supposed to know," Kendall growled, slamming her tablet on her work station and looking to her brother. "Cammy's a bright kid. She got caught in a little bit of trouble, the Rangers helped her out, she put the pieces together, I don't know how, but she got it right. I couldn't lie to her after that. None of us could. She's here, she's safe, I'm taking care of it. Dad followed me, some trouble came up and the truth came out. If I had it my way, none of you would be in this mess!"

"So you'd be in this mess alone?"

"I have my team!"

"Of teenagers?" Jeremy cried and pointed upwards. Kendall frowned.

"What are you...? How do you...?"

"You and Cammy aren't the only ones with brains," Jeremy said. "You mentioned Koda earlier and, well, now it makes sense why the cafe wait staff and Chase are so protective of you."

"So you know I'm not alone..."

"But you'd rather be," Jeremy said. "Rather than let in the people who can help you out with this, you just keep us all in the dark? Kendall, what if something happened?"

"Jeremy, this is dangerous work..."

"What if something happened to you?" he repeated, a little louder.

"I don't think you understand..."

"What if something happened to you!" he shouted and stomped his foot before glaring at his sister. "I don't think you understand it, Kendall. What if you got hurt? What if, god forbid, that monster earlier wanted more than just your phone? I'm not about to bury my baby sister!"

Kendall relaxed a little as she watched her brother pace the lab. Cammy had been right; he was scared. When he stopped at the crystal beds, his back facing her, she approached him, resting her hand on his shoulder.

"I have an amazing team," she promised him. "I had my doubts too at first, but I've seen them in battle. I've seen them off the battle field. Jeremy, I trust my teammates with my life, with Cammy's life..."

"Yeah, well I don't," Jeremy scoffed. He brushed off Kendall's hand and stepped away from her, this time facing her. "You weren't there, Kendall. The day you left for college, the day you left the family..."

"I thought we weren't going to bring that up again."

"When you said you didn't plan on coming back, we knew we lost you. They knew they lost you."

"That's not fair..."

"Our parents adopted a kid to keep you close," Jeremy said and pointed to the elevator. "Kendall, they're almost 60 freaking years old and they took on raising an eight year old for you. If that doesn't scream love..."

"They did that for Cammy too."

"When you walked away, if I didn't know any better, I would have sworn you died. Mom cried for days. Dad was depressed..."

"I know, Jeremy."

"You don't fucking know!" Jeremy shouted. "You don't know, Kendall, because now that you're back, we have to worry about you running off in some purple spandex body suit and pray to God you come back."

"Jeremy, I plan on coming back, every time."

"This time it's not your decision," Jeremy shook his head. "You... you..."

"I do everything in my power to keep the Rangers safe. Myself included," Kendall promised her brother as she made her way over to him and took his hand. She offered him a comforting smile. "You have to trust me."

"It's not that easy," Jeremy said. "I trust you, I do. But these monsters, the bad guys... Singe and the viviks and Sledge? Was that his name?"

"The big green one was Sledge."

"You have your plans, Kendall, and they have theirs and... What if they win?"

"Jeremy..."

"You're the kid mom and dad chose," Jeremy said. "Of all the kids in the world they could have wanted to adopt, they made room for you."

"I know that."

"Really?" Jeremy asked and Kendall nodded her head.

"They've kind of drilled it into me."

"You don't learn any other way," Jeremy chuckled and gently tapped on her head. "It's pretty thick."

"The energem chose me," Kendall told her brother. "And though I'm glad it did, I wouldn't have had a choice in the matter either way. The stones do the picking, not us."

"So you're not trying to give us all a heart attack?"

"No," Kendall shook her head. "You don't have to worry about me, Jeremy. I'm here. I'm sticking around. And it's not just for Cammy."

"Good," Jeremy said with a little smile as he put his arms around his sister. "Because, you know, mom and dad aren't the only ones who made room for you, you know."

"I know."

"You're the kid sister I never knew I wanted," Jeremy said and kissed the top of her head. "Don't you dare make me bury you, got it?"

Kendall nodded and nestled into her brother's arms as he hugged her tight. He rested his head on top of hers, a little tear slipping down his cheek.


	5. A Familial Bond

The _charger_ , as Kendall called it, fit in his hand. It was roughly the size of a regular battery, perhaps just a little bit larger. Still, it was smaller than Jeremy expected, considering it seemed to hold all of the Rangers' powers; ideally, enough to get them through a battle.

"You built all this?" Jeremy asked Kendall as he held up the charger.

"You seemed surprised," Kendall looked up from the transmuter, a little smirk on her lips. Jeremy shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm surprised I'm surprised. We were warned that you were gifted."

"Warned?"

"By your social worker," Jeremy nodded his head. "Before you came, your social worker called mom and dad and told them a bit about you. I kind of eavesdropped and heard them say gifted, among other things."

"And that was considered a warning?"

"They aren't called smart-asses because they're dumb," Jeremy chuckled. "I guess they just wanted to be sure you were going to be placed in a home where your parents could keep up and challenge you. You can't have the fourteen year old foster kid running the house within her first week, do you?"

Jeremy then held up the charger again and smiled at his sister, "Anyways, I think it's pretty cool you make these. The Rangers actually use them?"

"All the time," Kendall nodded her head. "The Chargers use the energy from each of the Rangers energems, allowing them to summon weapons, power ups, Zords, anything they need, really."

"And all the Rangers have one?"

"There are chargers for each energem," Kendall answered.

Jeremy gave a little nod to show he was listening, but his gaze drifted over to the crystal bed, where he saw space for ten energems. Yet, last he had counted there were only nine known Dino Rangers. He pointed to the tenth and final space, "What about... grey?"

"Silver," Kendall corrected. "Our grey Ranger is actually graphite."

"Okay... Well, what about silver, then? Who is that Ranger? You told me all the others."

"So far, we haven't found the silver energem," Kendall said, looking to the empty space with a sigh. "There's no sign of it here on Earth, but we're still looking. Tyler's father is out on the search for it right now."

"But there are Chargers in the charging stations," Jeremy said. "Does that mean they can be used?"

"Cautiously," Kendall nodded uncertainly. "Theoretically, the power in the Chargers can be harnessed by the Rangers, but without the energem to provide true power, we don't really know what the consequences will be."

"But, you can use it, right?"

"In desperate times," Kendall answered and Jeremy didn't like the way she phrased it. _Desperate times_. It implied there were moments the Rangers weren't sure they could win. It meant the villains had the upper hand, and the Rangers needed to use risky, perhaps even life-threatening tactics to turn things around. He felt a chill go up his spine as he imagined his little sister in _desperate times._

"I'll do it," he said and Kendall looked to him curiously. He nodded his head. "I can be the silver Ranger."

"Jeremy..."

"I'll just be sitting at home freaking out about you anyways," Jeremy said. "And, I mean, I didn't handle myself well against that walking candlestick or his creepy minions, but I didn't know what to do at the time. With a little training, help from you and the other Rangers, and all these powers as back-up, I think I can make a great Ranger."

"You don't want to be a Ranger," Kendall told him, shaking her head. Jeremy frowned.

"You seem to like it."

"Jeremy, I was picked for this job when I had nothing," Kendall said. "Keeper chose me at a time where I didn't have any family to worry about, or any friends. All I had was my work; this work."

"You knew Cammy before becoming the purple Ranger."

"When the energem chose me, I had something to fight for," Kendall looked to the picture on her desk. Chase had given it to all the Rangers while he had been home in New Zealand. He missed them all, and wanted to send the photo as a reminder to them of their friendship. Kendall kept hers in the lab, so when she was working late, she could look to it and remember why her job was so important. "I was tired of sitting on the sidelines, hoping I had done enough to keep everyone I loved safe."

"And that's how I feel."

"Jeremy, by the time I became the purple Ranger, I was already caught up in this mess. Having the suit only gave me the power to protect myself and my friends. Fury, Sledge, Wrench, they already had me on their radar. As I said, I was chosen back when I had nothing else in my life, and it's only this responsibility that gave me something worth fighting for."

"Your friends," Jeremy nodded. "Your family. I know exactly what you mean. And Kendall, with you out there, I feel the exact same way."

"You don't have nothing," Kendall shook her head. "Jeremy, you have the whole world going for you. Your parents and Cammy. You have an amazing wife and a beautiful daughter who needs you, at home."

"She'll understand."

"Will she be so understanding if you're dead?" Kendall asked. "Will she really be okay with losing her father for me? She's nine, Jeremy. I'm twenty-six. The person you need to be protecting is her."

"But she's not the one in danger," Jeremy pointed out. "The monsters are here. They're attacking you."

"And I've got a team behind me," Kendall assured him. "They've got my back."

"Yeah, but..."

"Besides, Jeremy, the point is moot. You can only be the silver Ranger if the energem chooses to bond with you. It's not up to us."

"What if the energem bonds to one of those monsters?"

"The energem bonds to people with goodness inside of them," Kendall told him. "People with heroic qualities. Selfless individuals. Those monsters are everything the energems hate."

"And you're the energem expert?"

Kendall gestured to her lab, "It's kind of my job."

"So, I'm just supposed to sit with my thumb up my ass, hoping you don't die?"

Kendall shrugged. It wasn't the most diplomatic way to put it, but essentially yes. Jeremy had the rough job of only being able to watch as someone he cared about raced into battle. Kendall knew the struggle all too well. She knew just how much he was going to hate the position. She felt badly for him, but she wouldn't change her mind.

"I know it's hard..."

"Damn right it's hard!"

"Jeremy..." Kendall looked to him sympathetically, pleading he not start up the matter of her having a dangerous job once again. She had been through it already with him, with her father, with Cammy; it was starting to be enough. Then she sighed, looked to him and whispered, "I have something to fight for. I'll be okay."

"Yeah? And what's that?" Jeremy asked, scoffing a little as he turned away. Kendall made her way over to him.

"You. My family. You, Jon, Bella, Cammy, the Rangers; you all mean more to me than these stupid energems," Kendall told him. "You make me a better Ranger. You make me want to stop Heckyl, Snide, Singe and anyone else who threatens this planet."

Jeremy kept his gaze away from his sister for just a moment before he let out a sigh and relaxed his shoulders. He turned to her, shaking his head with a little chuckle.

"You are... so different from... you," he told her with a smile. "You've really... grown."

"Being a Ranger has taught me something important," Kendall grinned.

"What's that?"

"People don't always break your heart."

Jeremy chuckled, pulled his sister into his arms and squeezed her tight.


End file.
